One of the world's most beautiful women, film star Sofia Loren, rose from poverty and loneliness.
Born Sofia Scicolone on September 20, 1934, in Italy, she grew up in the poor town of Pozzuoli near Naples.
Her mother Romilda Villani moved to Rome to become an actress. There she fell in love with a man claiming to be an aristocrat. After six weeks, she became pregnant. The man rejected the child, demanded an abortion, and abandoned her.
Romilda returned home, and Sofia grew up as an illegitimate child. She first met her father at age five, but nothing changed.
During WWII, she faced hunger and poverty. Called "Stecchetto" (stick) for her thinness, a local beauty contest at 14 changed her life.
Her grandmother sewed a dress from pink curtains, her mother painted old shoes white. Sofia didn't win but reached the finals and earned a trip to Rome.
She began acting in small roles and modeling. After winning "Miss Elegance," she caught attention. Her big break came when she met producer Carlo Ponti.
